


A Rat-ional Conclusion

by BladeoftheNebula



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpine the Cat, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Bucky Barnes/Matt Murdock, Parent Tony Stark, Rats, vet!Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23854501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BladeoftheNebula/pseuds/BladeoftheNebula
Summary: He had a strong flurry of patients throughout the morning and by the time it rolled around to noon, he was just about worn out.He walked out into the reception, stretching until he felt a satisfying pop. “Are we done?”Bucky checked the screen. “Just about. One more before lunch - a rat, singular.”Steve breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully straight forward then. “Great, let me know when they-”He was interrupted by the bell over the door and looked up to see a little girl cradling a small animal carrier, being shepherded through the door by easily one of the hottest men he’d ever seen in real life.Oh wow.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 66
Kudos: 601
Collections: Fandom For Australia





	A Rat-ional Conclusion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [weethreequarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/weethreequarter/gifts).



> This fic is for WeeThreeQuarter, who won one of my auctions for Fandom For Australia and donated to an excellent cause. They wanted Steve/Tony with Dad Tony and Morgan Stark, and let me have fun with the rest :) Enjoy <3
> 
> Thanks so much to my beta reader, Starksnack, for making it flow so well, and to my cheer readers Lmao_Thunder and LenkaVittoriaElisse :)
> 
> Lastly, a thank you to MountainRose for being my Rat Guru ;)

Steve stepped into his office, ready to start the day.

He pulled out his chair, ready to boot up his PC and look at the day’s appointments, but then realised it was already occupied.

A blue eye blinked at him from within a circle of white fur. “Alright, how did you get in here?”

The cat meowed at him, entirely unrepentant and Steve sighed. “Buck, I have a stowaway in my office.”

Bucky leaned back in his chair to look in. “Oh what the- how did he get here? I swear he was asleep on my bed when I left!”

“Well, he’s here now, and he’s got to go.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll get him picked up.”

Steve scooped up the cat who nuzzled his neck. “Don’t think you can get in my good graces by being cute,” he told him, raising a brow. 

“Matt’s coming by to pick up Alpine,” Bucky called through the open door. “He’ll swing by before he goes to his next meeting.”

“Great.” Steve walked through to the storage room, grabbing a spare blanket and pet bed, and bringing them through to tuck under the reception desk. He put Alpine down, the cat flopping onto the bed with a huff. “How the hell did he get here on your bike?”

Bucky shrugged. “I have no idea how he does the things he does. Ever since he managed to call Matt on the phone when I fell down the apartment stairs and got that concussion, I just honestly believe that cat can do anything.” The phone started to ring, and Bucky picked it up. “Rogers’ Veterinary Clinic, how can I help you?” 

Steve gave Alpine another scritch before straightening up and sighing as his back clicked. It had been a damn long week. It was high kitten season, and his volunteer work with the local shelter had kept him staying late. On good days, it was worming or vaccinations to make them healthy and adoption ready. On bad days, it was putting the little guys down because they were too sick. Some days his job could be really draining. 

He heard the front door open with a jingle of the bell. He looked up and oh, speak of the devil. “Nat, morning!”

“Hey, Steve.” She waved to Bucky who gave her a nod even as he continued his chat with the client on the phone. 

“Who’ve you got there?”

“Six kittens, two males, four females. Just got them back from the fosterer and they’re ready for desexing.”

“Great.” He bent down to look into the cage and smiled at the little fluff balls who were scrambling around trying to break out. “Longhairs. Love those. And love the hair they leave all over my coat.”

“Don’t even. I’m never going to be able to sell my car with the amount of pet hair all over it.”

He took the carrier from her, careful not to jostle it even as the kittens shifted around throwing it off balance, meowing loudly. 

He walked towards the back, and Nat followed him. He sighed, knowing what she was going to ask.

“Soooo. How was your date?”

Steve gave her a look. “Awful, and I think you know it.”

She grinned, clearly trying not to look too smug but failing badly. “I did try and warn you.”

“Yeah well, I’ve learned my lesson. Pierce was horrible.”

“You aren’t made for casual, Steve. You need to stop going out with guys who aren’t interested in long term, you’ll just be disappointed.”

“Yeah well, most people don’t have ‘Looking for a husband’ written on their shirts, and if it’s on their dating profile, they’re almost definitely lying.”

Nat tipped her head in acknowledgement. “I’ll give you that one.”

She helped him transfer the fluff balls to the permanent cage in the back, taking the carrier from him when he held it out. “How about you? How’s it going with Carol?”

If he didn’t know her better, he would have sworn she blushed. “Fine, thank you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Just fine?”

She rolled her eyes. “Alright, better than fine ok? She’s funny, hot and she’s always happy to help me do the morning clean and feed when she stays over, and isn’t squeamish about the whole thing. It’s great.”

“Oh, so it’s ‘when she stays over’ now, is it?” 

She shoved him, and he stumbled, laughing. “Turnabout’s fair play.”

“What are you guys laughing about?” Bucky asked as they passed his desk. 

“Steve’s tragic love life.”

“Don’t get me started. Really, you should just do what I did.”

Steve stared at him. “What - call a blind guy a punk for bumping into you and not looking where he’s going? Like an idiot?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “You did what?”

“I didn’t know he was blind at the time, jeez. But he was charmed by me so it all worked out.”

Steve snorted, tilting his head at Nat. “He was so embarrassed he wouldn’t stop babbling and Matt felt sorry for him.”

“CHARMED.”

“Yeah that’s...that’s horrible advice,” Nat said, shaking her head. 

“Well, we’ve been together for five years. One hundred per cent success rate.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll give that a pass, thanks.”

A tinkling of the bell made them look up to see a woman trying to drag a large, bouncy boxer through the door, without much success.

“Looks like my first patient is here,” Steve said, going over to help out. Time to start the day.

* * *

He had a strong flurry of patients throughout the morning and by the time it rolled around to noon, he was just about worn out. 

He walked out into the reception, stretching until he felt a satisfying pop. “Are we done?”

Bucky checked the screen. “Just about. One more before lunch - a rat, singular.”

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully straight forward then. “Great, let me know when they-”

He was interrupted by the bell over the door and looked up to see a little girl cradling a small animal carrier, being shepherded through the door by easily one of the hottest men he’d ever seen in real life. 

Oh wow. 

He heard Bucky snicker beside him, and realised his reaction may not have been as hidden as he thought. “Jerk!” He muttered out the corner of his mouth. 

Bucky opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut as the man and his kid came up to the desk. The little girl’s bright, brown eyes fixed on him immediately, taking in his white lab coat and paw-print patterned scrubs. 

“You’re the vet aren’t you? I’m Morgan.” She held out her hand. 

The man behind her snorted, pulling off dark sunglasses to reveal a matching pair of warm, brown eyes, and Steve had to really push himself not to stare too long. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Dr Steve.” He told her, shaking her hand. “And who have you got with you?”

Morgan held up her carrier, and through the clear plastic top, he could see a grey rat nestled in the bottom. “This is Remy.”

“What a great name. Well, let’s take Remy and your…?”

“My dad,” Morgan said.

“Tony,” the man offered, reaching out to shake hands as well. _Tony_.

“Alright, so let’s take Remy and your Dad through and see what we’ve got huh?”

He took them into the consulting room, closing the door behind them in case the little guy tried to make a break for it. He unlocked the latches on the cage and opened it up, reaching in to pull out the rat. The little grey rodent was thin and panting.

“How long has he been unwell?”

“About a week. We didn’t realise how much weight he’d lost at first, then he got really lethargic and eventually started coughing, so I made the appointment.”

“Alright, let me take a look here.”

Remy the rat flopped tiredly in his hands as he checked him over, listening to his chest and checking for discharge. The little guy was clearly struggling, so there was obviously something going on.

Morgan looked at him, her gaze firm. “Is he going to be ok? You’re a vet, so you’re going to fix him, right? He’s my best friend.”

Her tone brooked no argument, even as she carefully petted the trembling rat on the table and Steve sighed. 

He looked up at Tony who winced and gave him a commiserating look, and made a decision. “Just a sec.”

He walked over to the door, opening it and leaning out. “Hey Bucky, can I get you in here?”

He smiled at Tony and Morgan and waited as Bucky walked in. “Yeah?”

“Is Alpine still out there?”

“Sure is.”

“Do you maybe need an assistant to give him a brush?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow and then looked over to see Morgan carefully stroking the small rat. “Ah, yes. I could actually. Do you have someone in mind?”

“Oh sure.” He cleared his throat and raised his voice pointedly. “I don’t suppose there’s someone here who could help with some cat grooming?”

Morgan’s eyes lit up. “I could. I’m good at it.”

“Well that’s lucky,” Bucky rumbled, looking at Tony for permission. When he nodded, he smiled. “Come on kid, I got a brush with your name on it.”

Morgan gave the rat a small peck, before bouncing out after Bucky. Steve closed the door behind him, and let out a breath. “Sometimes it’s easier to chat without the little ones. Something I’ve learned is kids hear anything and everything, and that can be tough on a parent.”

“You're not wrong. She’s like a sponge.” Tony rubbed his hands over his face, looking so much more harried than he had when his kid was in the room, and Steve realised he’d been keeping it together for her. “She loves her rats. Like, so much. Her mother and I broke up a year and a half ago, and the therapist suggested we get her a pet to help smooth the transition. I didn’t expect her to choose rats if I’m honest, but Pepper and I agreed she could have whatever she wanted, and really it works well since she can take them between our houses.”

He pulled out his phone, tapping it on his arm. “I haven’t told Pepper yet, I figured, I’d find out before-”

“Of course,” Steve said, kindly. “Better to know what we’re dealing with first. The most likely cause is a bacterial infection, rats get them a lot, but it can be caused by other things so I’d like to take some x-rays and make sure. So I’ll give him something to keep him calm, take the radiographs, and then I’ll send them to my colleague to interpret and have an answer for you within a day or so.” He felt across Remy’s skin, not feeling anything too out of the ordinary. “It can be a little expens-”

“I don’t care,” Tony said, cutting Steve off. “Honestly, I need this rat to not die.”

“I mean I can’t promise-”

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to be unrealistic. My kid loves the rat, I will do anything to make sure my kid can keep the rat. Plus, I’m kind of fond of the little guy by this point, even if he does catch live cockroaches... and eats them...on my lap.” He made a horrified face that Steve was pretty sure he’d only seen in cartoons. He couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

“Oh, you think it’s funny, but you’ve obviously never found a dismembered roach leg in your coffee.”

Steve grimaced. “I can say that’s never happened to me. But I take you one roach leg and raise you lancing an abscess on a dog’s anal gland. I can honestly say it’s one of the grossest things I've ever dealt with.” 

Tony gagged. “Remind me not to tell Morgan that. She’s got her heart set on being a vet.”

“Oh really?” Steve got a gentle but firm grip on Remy. Not that he really needed to - the rat was blinking at him listlessly. “Do you want to get her back in here? I can explain it all to her if she’d be interested.”

“Oh yeah, that would be great. Let me-” Tony walked out, calling out to Morgan before she came in, stretching up to the top of the table. Tony leaned down and lifted her up so she could see. Steve couldn’t help but notice the way the man’s tanned forearms flexed as he settled the little girl on his hip. He looked back at Remy before he could be caught staring.

He explained what he was doing to Morgan, telling her what he thought might be the problem and how he was going to run the tests. She was a curious, bright kid, watching with sharp eyes and asking some fairly insightful questions for her age. He was impressed. 

And the way Tony looked at her, pride shining in his eyes. It was really sweet. 

When the x-ray had been taken he tucked Remy back into his carrier and secured the lid. 

“Ok, so what do you have to look out for?” He asked, handing it back to Morgan.

“If the coughing gets worse, any discharge or if he starts struggling to breathe,” she recited, taking the cage in a secure grip.

“And what about when you get home?” 

“Make sure his cage is clean and keep him separate from Templeton and Algernon.”

Steve chuckled. “Let me guess, your dad named Algernon? He seems the type.”

Morgan nodded, even as Tony let out a faux-offended huff. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just means I can spot a sci-fi dork with a Star Trek tattoo on his wrist.”

Tony looked down at where his cuff had ridden up to show a small U.S.S Enterprise on the inside of his arm. He laughed. “Alright, you got me.”

“Thought so.” Steve opened the door and let them out, Morgan stopping to pat Alpine who rubbed his cheek against her hand with a loud purr. “Seems like you made an impression.”

“He’s funny,” Morgan agreed, giving him one last pat before straightening up. “Are there other animals here?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, we have a ward where we keep the ones who have to stay overnight. He pointed at the door down the corridor with a sign pinned to it reading, ‘shhh, sick fur-babies need quiet’.

Tony snorted beside him and Steve gave him a sheepish grin. 

“Could you show me? I want to be a vet and it would really help me prepare for my future career.”

Steve’s eyebrows rose and Tony covered his face. “Sorry, sometimes we’re a little precocious. Hey, trouble, Dr Steve needs to work, we can’t take up too much of his time.”

Steve remembered when he was small, skinny as anything and bringing his old cat Finn to the clinic after a bad fall had hurt his leg. Dr Erskine had been kind, clearly aware Steve didn’t come from the wealthiest circumstances, and had instead suggested he could help out with chores for a few weeks to pay for it. His Ma had been unbelievably grateful, since she’d had no idea Finn needed treatment and it would’ve been a pricey fix they couldn’t afford. Steve had learned all the ins and outs of animal care and ended up staying on all through high school. When he went to college, there had never been any question what he wanted to be. 

He felt a sudden urge to pay the kindness forward. “You know what? I have an hour for lunch. I’d be happy to show you some of our patients and explain what’s wrong with them. But you have to be quiet ok? We don’t want them to get stressed while they’re healing.”

Morgan nodded enthusiastically. “I promise.”

“Ok then. Let's put Remy in my office-” Bucky held out his hands to take the cage, and Morgan handed it over carefully. “Thanks, Buck, and he can rest while we take a look around.” His eyes flitted to Tony’s realising he probably should've checked before he made the suggestion. “Ahh, if it’s ok with your dad, of course.”

Tony smirked. “Guess it’s lucky I’ve got the day free, huh pumpkin?”

Steve flushed. Then realised the ‘pumpkin’ was probably aimed at Morgan. He’s glad no one could see inside his head sometimes. 

“Alright, well, let’s go.”

He spent the next hour telling Morgan all about the animals he had in care, like Molly the tabby who’d had to have a few teeth removed, Bailey, the basset hound who had an inflamed pancreas and was on antibiotics, and of course the litter of kittens Natasha had dropped off to be fixed.

Morgan was riveted. It was pretty cute really, she was a sweet kid.

And Tony. Well. He was pretty cute too, but for entirely different reasons. 

He’d let Steve take lead, interjecting with a few questions of his own and generally just looking good, and smelling of expensive cologne. It was very distracting. Thank god Steve was a _medical professional_. 

He could ignore a hot guy. He could do this all day. Probably.

Tony had even stepped out for five minutes to grab sandwiches for them all from the bakery a few doors down, which had been kind. Steve had scarfed it down while showing Morgan the three rescue chickens he was boarding in the yard behind the clinic, along with Ultron, the old goat that had been injured by a dog. 

When it was finally time to finish up, he’d sent them on their way with a promise to call with the test results as soon as they were in. 

As they headed out the door, Bucky raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh shut up.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t say a word. Just you know, hot guy, cute kid. You could do worse.”

Steve flushed, feeling the heat in his cheeks. “How about you just focus on the appointments and getting that little escape artist of yours back to your place?”

Bucky gave him a salute. “Sir, yes sir,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm and Steve sighed. 

He got no respect around here.

* * *

When the results came back a couple of days later, Steve swore. 

Remy the rat didn’t just have a bacterial infection like he’d hoped, but a large tumour that was pushing against his lungs. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t been able to feel it from the outside. 

He sighed. It wasn’t a death sentence. Rats got a lot of tumours, he knew that. And they could often be removed without lasting impact. But, it was a lot riskier than being able to just administer a course of antibiotics. 

He gave the info to Bucky, asking him to get Tony in for an appointment so he could check on Remy and discuss options. 

Not exactly the most auspicious second meeting, but it couldn’t be helped. 

The next day when the Starks arrived, they were his last appointment of the day, and Steve aimed for a balance of hopeful but serious. 

He performed the exam, finding that Remy was no better, and with Tony’s blessing, he handed Morgan off to Bucky again, who let her play with one of the shelter kittens. 

Once he was sure she was occupied, he closed the door, leaving it just ajar enough that Tony could keep an eye on his kid and sighed. 

Tony winced. “Come on Doc, hit me. How bad is it?”

“It’s- well. Essentially it’s neither good news or the end of the world. It’s a tumour.”

“Like cancer?”

“Yes, but it’s a bit different for rats. Tumours are really common, so it’s not an instant death sentence. But I will need to remove it, and it’s quite big, so the surgery carries a decent amount of risk.”

“Right, ok.”

“And of course, the surgery does cost.”

“Like I said last time, I’m absolutely fine with that. Whatever you can do to fix the rat. Hell, give him a bionic leg while you're there if that would help.” 

Steve snorted. “I think we can probably stick to removing the lump. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ok, so what's the deal? Do we need to prep him for surgery or whatever?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, we can fit him in for Saturday and Bucky will give you an information pamphlet on the ‘dos and don’ts’ before surgery. Then we’ll do the operation, you’ll monitor him at home while he recovers and then fingers crossed, he’ll be up and dropping bugs in your morning coffee in no time.”

Tony made a face. “Don’t remind me.”

“OK, well if you're happy with that plan, you want to get Morgan in here and I’ll explain?”

“Please.”

Morgan took the news well, asking about the surgery and how to keep an eye out for tumours in Templeton and Algernon in the future. Steve explained, enjoying her interest and sent them off later with a wave. 

“You better hope you don’t accidentally kill Remy,” Bucky told him as they were locking up. “Pretty sure letting his child’s beloved pet die rapidly lowers your chance of a blow job.”

“Quit it.”

“Also make sure you wear your glasses instead of your contacts for the surgery.”

“What?”

“Trust me, makes you look like a buff academic. He’ll love it.”

“Get out of here,” Steve said, giving him a shove towards his bike.

“And wear your old scrubs - the ones that shrank in the wash!”

* * *

Remy the rat arrived Saturday with a small procession.

Morgan carried him in, this time with a tall woman, with fiery red hair, dressed in a fine skirt and blazer. Tony followed up behind them, giving Steve a wide smile when he saw him. 

The woman looked him over, with a raised eyebrow, and Steve honestly couldn’t tell if he measured up or down. 

Morgan came over the reception, hugging the carrier to her chest. She was noticeably more withdrawn and had a serious look on her face. It seemed like maybe her parents had talked to her about the risks since she appeared less excited about the idea of the surgery. 

“Good morning,” he offered, dropping down to a crouch. “How is the patient?”

Morgan gave a small sigh. “A little worse.” She tightened her arms around the case. “Is he going to be ok?”

Steve flicked his eyes up to the woman who had moved up behind her and put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Did your mom and dad explain about the surgery?”

Morgan nodded. 

“Ok great. So you know I can’t guarantee anything, but I promise to do my absolute best to make him healthy again.” He held out a hand to shake. “Is that enough?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes. I read that vets sometimes have to make hard choices, so I understand.” She took his hand and shook it.

Steve had to hold back a smile at the clear parroting, because it was quite endearing, and straightened up. “May I have Remy?”

The rat was handed over, and her mother pulled her into her side. “Thank you, Dr Steve. I’m Pepper, nice to meet you. We really appreciate you doing this after hours.”

“It’s not a problem, ma’am,” Steve offered. “I couldn’t leave this guy suffering longer than he has to.” 

“Yes, I’m sure that’s the only reason,” Pepper said, and her smile seemed to have a sly twist to it. Steve felt the heat rise in his face. He was pretty sure he’d been made. “I’m glad you’ve been so attentive to my daughter and her father.” 

Bucky snorted behind him, which was a shame, because now Steve was going to have to murder him.

Finding a replacement receptionist was going to be a real pain.

Steve held her gaze and desperately didn’t look over at Tony. 

“Well, of course. We value our patients.” 

“Of course,” she agreed, and now she seemed amused which was almost worse. “Now, I think it would be best if Morgan and I maybe went to grab a hot cocoa or something from the cafe down the street, and I think your dad-” she said, looking down at Morgan,”-can stay here and keep an eye on Remy. What do you think?”

Morgan looked around Pepper’s hip so she could see Tony. “Dad?”

“Yes?”

“You have to watch Remy.”

“Yes, my liege,” Tony agreed, his voice taking on a haughty tone. “I shall not leave my post.”

Morgan rolled her eyes, and Steve couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. She turned to him. “Dad will look after Remy.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Pepper and Morgan gave Remy one last pet and goodbye, before hustling out the door and taking a left down the street.

Leaving Steve alone with Tony.

There was the sound of a throat being cleared. Oh, and Bucky. 

“Guess we’d better get this show on the road, huh?” Bucky said, getting up to take Remy from Steve. “And Doc, you probably want to change for the procedure, right?”

Damnit. He was going to do it too.  
  
“Yes, thanks, Buck. Can you take the patient through?”

As he pulled on his older, tighter scrubs and his glasses, he made sure to take a moment to get his head in the game. 

Liking Tony was all well and good, but Remy needed him now and he had to make sure he was surgery ready, even if the procedure was routine.

As he stepped out, he noticed Tony’s eyes trail down before snapping back to his. It was hard not to feel a little smug.

He gestures to the carrier. “Do you want to give him a little pat before we anaesthetise him?”

“Yeah, please.” 

Bucky opened the cage on the desk, and Tony reached into it, running his fingers gently along the rat’s back. Remy twitched weakly, trying to nuzzle his hand but not quite managing. 

“Good luck, little guy,” he heard Tony murmur. He withdrew his hand and smiled at Steve. “Look after him, Doc.”

“You betcha,” Steve said, closing the lid. Alright, this shouldn’t take too long. You’re welcome to stay, and if you need refreshments, Bucky is your guy.”

“Thanks, Steve.”

Steve gave him one last smile before grabbing the carrier and turning on his heel.

He walked through to surgery, ignoring Bucky’s wiggling eyebrows, and pulled the door shut behind him. 

* * *

Steve closed up the incision with neat little stitches with a sense of triumph. The growth had been a decent size, but he’d managed to remove it without too much stress, hopefully reducing the pressure on the poor little guy’s lungs.

He monitored him for a while, washing up and wiping the sweat from his brow. He had to keep the room warm to stop Remy going into shock under the anaesthetic, which was a little unpleasant for him, but thankfully had kept the rat nice and toasty while he operated. 

Once he felt comfortable that Remy was safe, he warmed a heat pad and wrapped it in a towel, placing it at the bottom of the carrier. He carefully moved the rat to the carrier, settling him in and securing the lid. 

“Success,” he told Remy, given the unconscious rat a gentle stroke. “Let’s tell Tony the good news huh?”

As he walked out front Tony looked up from where he’d been chatting with Bucky.

“Well?”

“He should be just fine,” Steve told him with a smile. “He’s still out, and might be for a day or two, so he’ll need to be monitored and kept warm, but other than that no problem. Buck’ll print out a post-surgery info sheet for you, and obviously, if there are any problems, you can call us anytime.”

“Oh thank god,” Tony sighed. “I was not looking forward to potentially having to tell my child her rat was dead. Thank you so much, you are an absolute star.”

Steve felt his cheeks heat a little. “It was no trouble.”

“Well, Morgan and Pepper are on their way back over so you’ll have a very grateful kid singing your praises in a minute.”

The door chimed and Tony smiled as he looked around. “Speak of the devil. Or angels in this case.”

“Good save,” Pepper told him with a snort. She was leading an unusually subdued Morgan by the hand. 

When they got close, Steve crouched down holding the carrier out in front of him. Her eyes flitted to it, and then back to him determined. 

“Is he ok?”

“He is,” he said, letting the smile spread over his face and she squealed happily.

“Oh thank you! Thank you!” She gave him a tight side hug, being careful not to jostle Remy and grinned. “I can’t wait to be a vet!”

Steve returned the hug with a smile. “No problem. He’s a fighter.” When she pulled away, he handed her the carrier which she took with reverent hands. “Can I trust you to follow the rules and be in charge of his aftercare?”

“Yes. I’ll do everything exactly.” She nodded definitively.

“Great. I knew he’d be in good hands.” He straightened up, taking the aftercare instructions from Bucky and giving them to Pepper. “As I said to Tony, keep him warm and follow the instructions on here, and if you have any questions please just call us.”

“Thank you,” Pepper said, ruffling Morgan’s hair. “You made someone very happy. Shall we get him home and settled in?”

“Yeah!” Morgan agreed, making sure the carrier was secure. “Thanks, Dr Steve.”

“Yes, thanks Dr Steve,” Pepper agreed amused. She and Morgan left the clinic, the door clicking shut behind them.

“Guess that leaves me with the bill,” Tony chuckled, taking out his wallet. 

“Yeah, I’m sure Bucky can help you with that.” Steve shuffles unsure what to do. “Again, any questions-“

“-let you know,” Tony smiled. “Got it, I will.”

It felt weird to hang around while they discussed the pricing so he excused himself to get changed back into his casual clothes since they had no other appointments for the rest of the day. When he returned, Bucky was handing Tony his receipt.

“Guess I’ll see you around,” Tony said with a dazzling smile, and Steve nodded feeling a little dazed himself.

“Uh yes, that would be-,” he managed to push through the brain fog. “Yeah, we will. For Remy’s post-op check-up.”

He couldn’t see Bucky's expression behind him, but he was pretty sure it was despairing for his lack of game. 

“Yeah of course.” He flicked a card between his fingers. “Buckaroo here has us all booked in.”

“Great.” Oh god, he was so not smooth.

“Well thanks, Doc,” Tony said, with a soft smile. “See you soon.”

“You too!” Steve called, as he headed out the door, throwing a wave over his shoulder. 

When the door closed, Steve groaned. 

“Tough luck buddy. Would’ve been the perfect time too; the hero vet who saved the rat. Oh well, you’ll get another shot at it.”

Steve slumped, head bowing. As he did, his eyes caught on the clinic copy of the receipt. His eyes bugged. 

“Wait, Buck, he paid $5000! None of the visits or treatment should’ve cost more than a few hundred total. Did you add a zero by mistake?”

“No, I did not! And even if I did, you think I don’t check the receipts? You didn’t hire me just for my exceptional good looks, you know, I can do my job.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Then what the hell?”

“He said to save the rest for the next pro-bono you need to do. Apparently, he heard how often you do free surgery, and how much it costs us.”

“And how did he hear that?”

Bucky shrugged. “I told him. I mean I was talking up how kind and generous you were so that he’d want to date you, not my fault he thought I was asking for a donation.”

Steve put his hand on his hips, looking at the floor. “He didn’t have to do that. I mean, I couldn’t let a kid lose her rat.”

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Stevie. Now you don’t have to tell the next little old lady that it’ll cost too much for her to save her dog that got hit by a car.”

“I can put my foot down sometimes.”

A look.

“Alright fine, but what was I supposed to say to Mrs Goldstein? She’d just been widowed the year before.”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, I’m not complaining. She brought us cake every week for a month, remember?”

It had been pretty good cake. 

“I just don’t know if we can accept this much.”

“Well then talk to him when they come in for their next appointment, and maybe finally get his number while you're at it.”

“Buck!”

“What? You’ve been giving him heart eyes since the first visit.”

“I have not.”

“Denial is an ugly emotion, Stevie.”

He gave Bucky a shove to the side of the head. “Shut up.”

The door to the clinic opened with a jingle and Bucky perked up. “Hey, handsome.”

“Hey.” Matt walked in, one arm full of files from the law office, and the other using his cane to feel around. He’d learned his lesson after one visit had led to him tripping over a stray goat. 

“Hey Matt, how was work?” Steve tapped his hand as he approached in greeting. 

“Not bad. Foggy is still swamped with that housing case, so I went into the office to lend him a hand. I’ve still got to prep for court Monday.” He dropped the files on the desk and leaned against it. “How are things here?”

“Steve got tipped four and a half grand for doing surgery on a rat.”

Matt’s eyebrows shot up behind his dark glasses. “Wow. What, did you give the rat a happy ending or something?”

Steve groaned, hiding his face in his hands as Matt held out a fist for Bucky to bump. “Don’t even joke. I do not need a rumour going around that the local vet’s into bestiality.”

“Well, you must’ve done something.”

“The guy was enamoured by Steve’s ‘hot guy holding cute baby animals’ routine. You haven’t seen it, but people trip over themselves to see him holding sleeping kittens against his firm pecs.”

“I didn’t do anything like that while he was here!” Steve snapped. It wasn’t his fault he’d been asked to pose for that animal charity calendar last year. 

“Real shame, I'd pay another five grand to see that.”

Another voice cut across his friends’ laughter, and Steve looked up to see Tony, hands in his pockets giving him an amused look. “I mean, if it’s on offer.”

It took a moment for Steve’s brain to register what was happening, but when it did, his body kicked into overdrive, the blood rushing to his face. “Oh, uh-”

“And that’s our cue to go and feed the overnight guests. Come on Matt.” Bucky took Matt’s arm and the two of them fled into the back. _Cowards._

Steve managed to rally, remembering that he was a medical professional. “Can I help you at all? Do you need to change your appointment or-?”

“I was going to ask next time we came in, but then I thought why wait? Can’t risk someone with a cute dog and an even cuter smile getting in before me.” 

He was a smooth talker, but Steve could see the hint of shyness lurking in his eyes. It made it a little easier to push past his embarrassment and work out what was being said.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s possible.”

Tony smiled, bright and pleased. “Yeah? Well, just in case you’re wrong, how about you give me your number and we see if this whole thing we’ve got going on works without an unconscious rat between us? Maybe at a restaurant?”

Steve felt a grin burst over his face. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”

“And then, hey, if it goes well-” and here Tony’s went low and suggestive. Steve wanted to hear more of that tone, “-maybe you could show me that whole cute animal, hot pecs thing? You know, sans kitten.”

Steve felt a thrill go through him as he thought about what that might entail. “I think that could be arranged."

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi! Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/BladeoftheNebu1)/[Tumblr](https://bladeofthenebula27.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Join the [Put on the Suit (18+) server](https://discord.gg/z5WSqbS) over on discord to hang out with fellow stony fans! It’s a super welcoming community and we have a lot of fun ♥️


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